Why Somatic Practices Are Often More Effective for Anxiety Than Talk Therapy

(A Connecticut Therapy Perspective)

If you live with anxiety, you may already understand it intellectually.

You know where it comes from.You recognize the triggers.You’ve talked it through—maybe many times.

And yet, your body still tightens.Your breath still shortens.Your nervous system still reacts as if something is wrong.

This is often the moment people realize:Insight alone isn’t creating the change they hoped for.

Anxiety Is Not a Thinking Problem

Anxiety is a nervous system state.

It arises when the body is organized around vigilance, protection, or unresolved stress responses. This is why reassurance, logic, and positive thinking often fall short.

You’re not failing therapy.

Your body is doing exactly what it learned to do to survive.

This is where somatic practices become essential.

The Limits of Talk Therapy for Anxiety

Talk therapy works primarily from the top down—through language, insight, and meaning-making. This can be incredibly valuable, especially for understanding patterns and relational dynamics.

But anxiety often operates beneath thought, at a physiological level.

When the nervous system is activated:

• The body reacts before the mind can intervene

• Safety cannot be reasoned into existence

• Awareness doesn’t automatically equal regulation

Without including the body, anxiety may persist—even when you “know better.”

How Somatic Practices Address Anxiety at the Root

Somatic therapy integrates a bottom-up, directly with sensation, breath, movement, and nervous system cues.

Instead of asking “Why am I anxious?”, somatic work asks: “What is my body experiencing right now, and what helps it settle?”

These practices help:

• Complete stress responses that were interrupted

• Release stored tension and survival energy

• Re-teach the body what safety feels like now, not just conceptually

This is not about forcing calm or overriding symptoms.It’s about restoring the body’s natural capacity for regulation.

When the body feels safer, anxiety naturally softens.

Why This Matters for Anxiety Therapy in Connecticut

Many people seeking Connecticut therapy for anxiety are thoughtful, capable, and deeply self-aware, yet still feel overwhelmed in their bodies.

Somatic therapy is especially effective if you:

• Experience anxiety primarily as physical symptoms

• Feel “on edge” even when life is stable

• Have tried talk therapy but still feel stuck

• Carry chronic stress or relational trauma

This approach meets anxiety where it lives—not in the story, but in the body.

Why My Own Somatic Practice Matters in This Work

I don’t offer somatic therapy as a technique I apply to people.

I offer it from lived experience.

My ability to support others comes directly from my own ongoing practice of cultivating a stable, embodied ground in my own being. Through years of somatic inquiry, Realization Process meditation, and nervous system work, I’ve learned—again and again—that true stability doesn’t come from controlling experience, but from inhabiting the body with presence and kindness.

This lived practice allows me to:

• Recognize subtle nervous system shifts

• Pace sessions in a way that supports safety

• Stay grounded when clients feel overwhelmed

• Guide regulation without rushing or forcing

I don’t ask clients to go where I haven’t gone myself.

This is not about fixing anxiety, it’s about building an internal home base that anxiety no longer has to defend against.

How I Work: An Integrative Somatic Approach

In my Connecticut therapy practice, I integrate:

• Somatic practices and nervous system regulation

• EMDR

• Realization Process Trauma Release Techniques

• EFT tapping

• Relational, trauma-informed therapy

What differentiates my work is that we move at the pace of your body, not your expectations.

We prioritize:

• Safety before insight

• Presence before problem-solving

• Embodiment over coping strategies alone

This approach supports both those new to somatic work and those with long-standing meditation or therapy experience who want deeper integration.

A Simple Somatic Practice for Anxiety

You can begin right now.

Practice Prompt:

Place one hand on your chest and one on your abdomen.

Let your attention rest on the contact of your hands.

Notice temperature, pressure, or movement, without trying to change anything.

After a few breaths, gently ask:What helps my body feel just a little more supported in this moment?

Listening is enough.

Ready for Deeper Support?

If anxiety continues to live in your body despite understanding it, you don’t need more insight—you need support that includes your nervous system.

I offer Connecticut therapy for anxiety grounded in somatic practice and lived experience, helping clients cultivate lasting stability rather than temporary relief.

✨ If you’re ready to stop managing anxiety and start restoring safety from within, I invite you to connect.

Visit randicamirand.com to learn more or schedule a consultation.

You are not alone. I am available for individual sessions, when you are ready.

In the meantime, here are some Resources For Your Healing Journey:

Read blog posts from my series When the Spell Breaks: Healing from Narcissistic Abuse. https://www.randicamirand.com/blog/categories/healing-from-narcissistic-abuse

Follow my Women’s Wintering Well Series on Instagram for almost daily self-care reminders. https://www.instagram.com/randicamirand/

10 Grounding Practices for Women

https://www.randicamirand.com/post/10-grounding-practices-for-women

Visit my Homepage www.randicamirand.com

Learn more About Me and My Approach  https://www.randicamirand.com/about

Learn about my Women’s Online Meditation Classes and email sign up to receive notifications. https://www.randicamirand.com/womens-meditation-classes

Check out The Blog for therapy insights and self-help tips.

https://www.randicamirand.com/blog